Ironer



July 27; 1943.

G. w. 'WARDWELL, m

V IRQNER Fi ed M. 18, 1956 inventor; Georgewardwell bg %W 6? $04M H18 Abtorneg.

Patented' uly 27,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE momma H George W. Wardwell, In, Nichols, Conn, as-

signor toGeneral Electric Company corporation of New York The present invention relates to ironers of the type in which ironing is effected between a heated shoe and a padded roll.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved construction and arrangement in ironers' of this type, and for a consideration of what I believe to be novel and my invention attention is directed to the accompanying description and the claim appended thereto. 1

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a side elevation partly broken away of an ironer embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the ironer; Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken through the shoe nd the pressure applying mechanism for the s cc; and Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view showing a modification of my invention.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral I indicates the ironer frame or housing having a depending sleeve 2 which fits over the upper end of the wringer post 3 of a domestic washing-machine A. The lower end of the sleeve 2 is provided with a flange 4 whichrests on a collar 5 secured to the wringer post. Rotation of the ironer housing relative to the wringer post is prevented by a tongue Son the flange l which fits into one of a number of spaced holes 1 in the collar 5. The ironer can therefore occupy diil'erent angular positions with respect to the wringer post. Extending throughthe'wringer post is a wringer drive shaft 3 which is rotated continuously in I! is a disc l8 having a flange l9 secured to the shell.

At the center of each disc is fixed a tube 29 carrying a sleeve bearing 2| which rotatably supports the roll on a sleev 22. Endwise movement of the roll it on the roll supporting tube i3 is prevented by washers 22a. Each of the sleeves 22 is prevented from turning on the tube i3 by means of a pin 23 which extends through the tube. One end of the pin 23 rests in a socket 24 on the inner side of the sleeve 22 and the other end of the pin extends through ahole 25 in-the sleeve. Viewed in Fig. 3, each of the sleeves 22 is normally biased upward againstthe lower edge of the roll supporting tube i3 by means of a coil spring 23 which surrounds thepin 23 and which is arranged between a cup 21 fixed in the tube and a cup 23 on a sleeve 29 slidably carried in the tube; The upperend of the sleeve 29 bears against the inner surface of the sleeve 22 and transmits the force or the .coil spring 28 to the sleeve, thereby moving the sleeve 22 upward until it strikes the lower surface of the tube i3. Under this condition, a ring gear 30 which is carried by the disc l9 adjacent the ironer housing I is out of engagement with a pinion 3i which is formed in the left end of the shaft II and the rotation of the shaft II by means of the gears 9 and Ill does not cause rotation of the roll. When the shoe 32 is pressed against the roll the pres sure exerted by the shoe overcomes'the force exmoves the roll downward to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 3. In this position the gear 30 meshes with the pinion 3|, thereby completing a driving'connection from the shaft II to the roll and causing rotation of the. roll. The gears 30 and 3| therefore function as a clutch which is operated by the pressur between the shoe and the roll to complete a driving connection to the roll. One advantage of this construction is that the gears 30 and 3| engage when the pressure between the roll and the shoe is suiilcient to overcome the relatively weak coil springs 25. There is therefore only a relatively small load on the tips'of the gear teeth as the gears engage. Also, since the roll starts rotating before the full ironing pressure is developed there is no heavy starting load.

The shoe 32 is carried on an am 33 which is secured at one end in a boss 34 on the ironer housing and which extends along the roll. The roll contacting surface of the sho comprises a sheet metal plate 35 having studs 38 secured thereto to which is bolted a sheet metal cover 31. Between the cover 31 and the plate 35 are arranged suitable electric heating elements (not shown) At the center of the shoe is a supporting bracket which is secured to a plat 39 carried on the underside of the cover 31 on two of the studs 33. Between the ears 40 of the bracket 39 is a U-shaped link which is pivotally connected thereto by means of a pin 42. The ends of the U-shaped link 4! are pivoted on the arm 33. The link 4| and the bracket 39 form a toggle for pressing the shoe against the roll. The toggle is operated by means of a lever 43 which is pivoted to the arm 33, as shown in Fig. 4, and is also connected to the pin 4.3. lever 43 i cenerat'or.

tered between sides of link it by means of spacing sleeves 44 and 45. It is apparent that the lever 43 is in eflect a part of the link At. The lever 43 projects over the center of the ironer roll and is therefore accessible to either hand of the opter-clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 4, the shoe is moved to the full line position shown in Fig. 4. In this position the pin 42 is moved past the center line connecting the center of th roll and the center of the arm 33 so that the shoe tends to remain in this position. A pin it fixed to the arm 33 engages the edge 36 of the lever 43, limiting the movement of the lever. When the shoe is pressed against the roll, the roll is moved parallel to its axis of rotation from its normal position to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 4, completing the driving connection to the roll which causes the roll to rotate in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 4. When the shoe first contacts the roll the pin $2 is above the center line connecting the roll and th arm 33. At this time the roll starts rotating and the frictional torque exerted on the shoe by the roll tends to straighten the toggle and move the shoe to the full line position shown in Fig. 4. The frictional torque thus'decreases the effort required to move the shoe to the ironing position. The frictional torque assists in pressing the shoe against the roll because the arm 33 about which the shoe is moved is located outside the line of action of the frictional force exerted on the shoe by the roll.

During the use of the ironer, varied thicknesses of material may be placed between the shoe and the roll and also padding on the roll may vary in thickness. It is therefore desirable to provide some means for equalizing the pressure between the roll and the shoe under these varying operating conditions. This is accomplished by making the arm 33 of sufficient resilience so that it equalizes the pressure between the roll and the shoe. This construction is simpler than constructions which use separate springs to equalize the pres sure between the roll and the shoe.

When the operating lever 43 is moved in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 4, the pin 42 is moved to the upper side of the center line between the roll and the arm 33 and a coil spring 46 arranged between the link and a pin 41 fixed to arm 33 returns the shoe to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 4. The pin 68 which is fixed to the arm 33 engages the edge 49 of the lever 43 and provides a stop for limiting this movement of the operating lever. When the shoe is in the dotted line position it may be pivoted upward about pin 42. so that the roll contacting surface of the shoe is readily accessible for cleaning.

Under some conditions it is desirable that the ironer be used merely as a press. To permit this use of the ironer, ,I have provided a slide 50 which is located on the side of the tube l3 facing the shoe. At its right end slide 50 is held by a screw 5| which extends through a slot 52 in the slide and at its left end by the-sleeve 22 and a pin 23 which extends through a slot 55 in the slide. The right hand end of slide 50 carries a block 53 which may be moved between the roll supporting tube l3 and the sleeve 22 adjacent the wringer housing I, thereby holding the gear 30 out of engagement with the pinion 3| when th shoe is pressed against the roll. This prevents completion of the driving connection to the roll and When the lever 43 is rotated ina counenables the ironer to be used as a press. On the left hand end of slide 5!) is a handle 50a which projects beyond the end of theroll and'may be used for moving the slide back and forth along tube l3.

In the modification shown in Fig. 5, friction ring gear 300. and gear 3: replace the toothed There are no other the pinion M. This completes the driving connection' to the roll, and th rotation ofthe roll draws the material under the shoe. By this arrangement the roll remains stationary until contacted by the shoe but starts to rotate before full ironing pressure is reached. This prevents heavy starting loads. At the completion of the ironing operation, the lever 33 is moved away from the operator moving the shoe out of pressing engagement with the roll. As pressure is released, the roll is moved by springs 26 parallel to its axis of rotation to a position in which the gear 30 is out of mesh with the pinion 3! thereby breaking the driving connection to the roll.

What I claim as new an ddesire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. An ironer, a roll, a frame at one end of the roll having means supporting the roll for rotation on its axis, a shoe supporting arm having an angle bend intermediate its ends, one end of the arm being fixed to the frame and extending transverse to the axis of the roll and the other end of the arm extending along the roll at an carried by a bearing on said other end of the arm for moving the shoe toward and away from I the roll, said link being pivoted on the longitudinal axis of said other end of the arm, and said arm being sumciently resilient to equalize the pressure between the roll and the shoe under varying operating conditions.

2. In an ironer, a roll, a shoe, a frame at one end of the roll having provisions for supporting the roll, an arm projecting from said frame along the roll, a toggle for moving the shoe toward and away from the roll comprising a pair of links pivoted to each other, one of said links being carried on the projecting part of said arm and the other being fixed to the shoe, means for pivoting the first link about the axis of said arm to straighten or break said toggle whereby the shoe is moved toward and away from the roll, the common pivot of said links lying substantially on a center line connecting the arm and the roll when the shoe is pressed against the roll, driving means for rotating the roll in a direction such that the friction torque exerted by the roll on the shoe tends to straighten the toggle, and means operated by movement of th toggle for controlling said driving mechanism to stop the roll when the shoe is away from the roll and to start rotation of the roll prior to the development of full pressure between the roll and shoe.

GEORGE W. WARDWELL, JR. 

